Shared Obsession Chapter 180
Castle strides quickly toward a refrigerator in the Q3 kitchen with Kate uncharacteristically trailing behind. "Beckett, do you remember what Spike said about why Wolf stayed late the night he was killed?"
"Yeah, he was finishing off fancy sculpted decorations for a cake."
"Maddy told us she couldn't find the customer slip for it, and I think I know why. Wolf was the customer." Castle pulls open the refrigerator. "Look at it! Just what a man would use to propose."
"But that still doesn't tell us where the ring is," Kate points out.
"I think it does." Castle reaches for the glisten of a red heart topping Wolf's jewels and crown. It breaks easily under the pressure of his fingers, revealing a diamond's sparkle. Castle holds up an engagement ring. "He crafted the heart to hold the promise of what was most special to him. This was why he was changing his life."
"But for whom?" Kate wonders. "And why hasn't she come forward yet?"
"With Wolf dead, maybe she's scared," Castle guesses. "Maybe she's afraid that she's in danger too."
In the chill of refrigerated air, Kate regards the expensive bauble. "Or maybe she's the one who killed him."
Castle studies his hunched daughter sullenly poking at her breakfast. "Beckett, I'll meet you at the precinct a little later. I think the situation calls for some fatherly intervention."
'All right," Kate agrees. "I have David Nicolaides coming in. I figure if anyone has an idea who the mystery woman is, it would be Wolf's best friend."
"Reasonable thought," Castle acknowledges. "I should be there by the time you finish your interview."
"So, still obsessing over your Hamptons invitation?" Castle queries Alexis as the door closes behind Kate.
"Yeah," Alexis admits. "I really want to go, but it will only be one weekend. The results of the AP exams could affect the rest of my life."
"I don't know about that," Castle says. "I aced my AP chemistry exam but I became a writer, not a chemist."
"But you still use what you learned in your work – for forensics and stuff."
"As you may have noticed, the school curriculum covered very little relating to crime-solving endeavors. And you have been studying your, um, head off all year. Will a weekend's extra cramming really make a difference in your scores?"
"Maybe not," Alexis acknowledges, "but how will I feel if I mess up and didn't study?"
"Knowing you, angst-ridden with guilt. So it sounds as if you have your answer."
"Yeah, I guess I do. But I don't know how to tell Lacy. She could feel like I'm rejecting her or something. Ooh, wait. She'll feel better if I tell her that I want to go, but can't."
"When did my little pumpkin start crafting diplomatic fibs?"
"It doesn't have to be a fib if you order me not to go."
"Are you sure that's what you want?"
"Yes, I'm sure."
"All right then. Alexis, your AP exams are important to your future, much more important than hanging with your friends in the Hamptons. I order you to stay home and study."
Alexis plants a kiss on her father's cheek. "Thanks, Dad! Love you!" With a quick grab for her backpack, she rushes out the door.
"OK, David. Again, I'm sorry for your loss," Kate says, leading Wolf's friend to the elevator as Castle is arriving. They meet at the murder board. "David shed any light?" Castle inquires.
"Not really. David said he wouldn't have believed what Wolf did unless I showed him the ring. He had no idea who Wolf was proposing to. Neither did any of the other friends he called. It's like Wolf was in love with a ghost."
"But if he was, the ring would have never stayed on," Castle considers.
"It might if she willed it to," Ryan suggests, "like the ghosts in that movie could move stuff with anger."
Kate rolls her eyes. "What have you got from this world, Ryan?"
"We went back through the phone logs from the restaurant and Wolf's cell. Every call's accounted for."
"How about the café uptown?" Kate asks. "Did they ever see Wolf with a woman – maybe saying goodbye or hello to one at the door?"
"They were adamant," Esposito says, joining his partner. "Wolf never met anyone there. Whenever they saw him he was always alone."
"But you guys told us the waitress said he spent his time staring out the window," Castle recalls. "Could he have been daydreaming about his fiancée to be, or better yet, watching her?"
"What's visible from that window?" Kate queries.
Ryan and Esposito look at each other, shaking their heads. "Don't know," Esposito finally admits.
"Well, find out," Kate orders.
"So while the boys are doing that, what do we do?" Castle asks.
"I want to talk to Maddy again."
"Did you find a hole in her alibi?"
"No. I talked to all her staff and the husband and husband who threw the party. They all remember Maddy – and her car, being there until everyone finished cleaning up and took off in the morning. There's no way she could have killed Wolf. But she was always watching for who talked to or lusted after whom at school. So maybe she noticed Wolf talking to a woman – or staring at one – at Q3. I figure it's worth a shot. And I think I'll do this one by myself. She might share better woman to woman."
"Well, I certainly don't fit into that category," Castle says. "And I have a little business I need to take care of anyway. We can get together when you and Maddy finish exchanging confidences."
In the more comfortable surroundings of the interview lounge, Kate hands Madison the ring Castle found atop the cake. Madison wistfully examines the jewelry. "Anyone ever offer you one of these, Becks?"
"No," Kate admits. "You?"
"Not yet. But I was thinking about your question on the way over here. I had no clue Wolf was serious about anyone."
"Can you think of any girl he was close to?" Kate probes.
"Every time I saw him, except for when he was with his friends, he was with someone different. It's hard to believe he'd ever commit."
"His friends?"
"Mm-hmm, David and his girlfriend Cicily. They visited him in the kitchen sometimes. And David acted pretty possessive of Cicily, especially lately."
"Do you know why?" Kate asks.
"No idea. They were Wolf's friends, not mine. I just picked up on the body language when they were around."
Kate presses her fingertip to her lower lip. "All right, Maddy, thanks."
Esposito and Ryan head for the murder board as Castle and Kate approach it from two different directions. "So, what was the view from Wolf's window?" Castle asks.
"It faces the boutique across the street," Esposito says. "The place sells the fancy dresses and stuff that the ladies in the East Seventies shell out big bucks for."
"But I'm guessing Wolf wasn't interested in the clothes," Castle responds.
"No, but he would have had a clear view of the woman working there," Ryan replies. "And guess who it is?"
"Cicily Burkett, David Nicolaides's girlfriend," Kate proclaims.
Ryan stares at her in confusion. "How did you?"
"Maddy said that David had been acting more possessive of Cicily lately," Kate shares. "I figured there had to be a reason."
"It's a bad metaphor, but maybe there was a Wolf in the henhouse," Castle says.
Kate nods. "We need to talk to Cicily."